In pausing to reflect on the Christ-centered teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. this year, I reread his sermon "Loving Your Enemies" that he delivered at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, which is now Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church. Scholars have not pinpointed the exact date King gave this eloquent and time-transcending message, but most agree he spoke to the Dexter Avenue congregation in mid-November of 1957. King took his text from Matthew 5:43-45, in which Jesus says, "Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven." King mentioned that he tried to preach from these passages at least once a year, adding "new insights" and "new experiences." There is always something new to glean from Jesus' words here, and the agape love He spoke of is desperately needed in our present time, just as it was when King was leading the civil rights movement.

King provided three basic points in this message to help the Dexter congregants gain deeper spiritual insight into loving their enemies: "analyzing self," "(discovering) the element of good" in their adversaries, and not harming their rivals "when the opportunity presents itself." When it comes to honest self-reflection, it can be difficult to admit our shortcomings or wrongdoings. King pointed out that in some instances we may have done something in the past that we forgot and could have offended someone, or it could be a "personality attribute" that rubs some people the wrong way. Regardless, we must assess ourselves while loving others.

It's often very hard to see the good in our enemies, especially when we know they dislike us for no valid reason. King referred to this struggle as a "civil war" within our souls but strongly emphasized that the person who loathes you the most has some good in them. We must ultimately see the good because that person is still made in the image of God. I think many people would agree that resisting the temptation of not repaying an enemy back for plotting against them is probably the most challenging of King's three points. King provides an example of someone being in a position to write a letter of recommendation for a colleague who may have gossiped or misused them. He states that you "must do it" to show "goodwill for all men" to "defeat evil systems."

Before King goes into more detail concerning these three major points, he makes a profound statement at the beginning of this sermon that particularly stood out to me. He said that the command to love our enemies from Christ was of "cosmic proportions," so much so that many have debated for centuries whether it was almost impossible to do. Indeed, this divine command is a tough one, but we must remember that Scripture teaches that Christ enables us to do everything He instructed through the Holy Spirit. King did not address this in "Loving Your Enemies," as he emphasized obeying what Christ said. So, many would probably ask, how do I get to this level of loving those who hate me? The answer is that love is a fruit of the Holy Spirit that must be produced in the lives of those who follow God. Love is the first of the nine fruits listed in Galatians 5:22, and just as seeds must be nurtured to grow, a person who allows himself to be spiritually nurtured through following the teachings of Christ will produce overflowing love that is a blessing to others, including enemies. In saying this, I am reminded of a hateful comment that I shared with readers last year when someone called me a "leftist DEI b—tch." Believe me, there is no way that I could love this person without the fruit of love flowing from the Holy Spirit.

As we take time this MLK Day to contemplate King's legacy, we need to seriously revisit what he taught about loving our enemies and loving one another. He earnestly prayed that we "join together in a great fellowship of love and bow down at the feet of Jesus" because "love is the only creative, redemptive, transforming power in the universe."

Dr. Jessica A. Johnson is a lecturer in the English department at Ohio State University's Lima campus. Email her at smojc.jj@gmail.com. Follow her on X: @JjSmojc. To find out more about Jessica Johnson and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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